The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and a method for precision manufacturing and assembly of contoured or curved metallic structures, and more particularly to the precision manufacturing and assembly of magnetic levitation vehicle guideways.
The precision manufacture of contoured or curved metallic structures such as guideways for magnetic levitation vehicles, bridge structures such as highway overpasses, and offshore oil rig drilling platforms is currently expensive, time consuming, and in many cases impossible to perform within the tolerances mandated by the application. Magnetic levitation vehicle guideways, for example, are required to meet stringent tolerances in their manufacture in order for the magnetic levitation vehicles to properly and safely operate over the guideways.
Magnetic levitation vehicles are capable of traveling over three (3) eighty-two (82) foot long sections of guideway in one (1) second of time, but can not operate over excess up, down, or side to side nonconformities or departures from the design contour in the guideway. To accommodate such speeds and operation, an eighty-two (82) foot section of guideway must be manufactured and assembled so that operational components can be positioned to plus or minus 0.1 mm (one-tenth of one millimeter) tolerance of the design contour across the length of the finished beam.
Current manufacturing and assembly methods are not capable of the timely and cost-effective manufacture of contoured or curved metallic structures, such as guide plates, bridge support beams, and oil rig supports, to ensure that operational components can be positioned to plus or minus 0.1 mm (one-tenth of one millimeter) tolerance of the design contour across the length of the finished structures. Current methods of manufacture and assembly are labor intensive, imprecise, and expensive. Such methods are unacceptable for the construction of magnetic levitation transportation systems.
For example, a recent proposed magnetic levitation transportation system required 650 guideway sections in 350 different configurations. Current labor intensive manufacturing methods for such a project are cost prohibitive.
In an age of budget cutbacks and cost-effective projects, a more precise, automated, inexpensive, and faster apparatus for and method of manufacture of precision structures is needed.
Disclosed is a precision assembly table comprising a frame, a surface connected to the top of said frame, and a plurality of rigid support bars above said surface that define a contoured surface upon which items to be assembled, such as magnetic levitation guideway structures, are positioned. The assembly table includes a plurality of adjustable support members wherein each of said rigid support bars is connected to at least two of said adjustable support members, and wherein said adjustable support members are connected to said frame, such that the position of each of said rigid support bars above said frame and said surface is capable of individual adjustment and the countered surface desired for the items being assembled, such as a magnetic levitation vehicle guideway, and defined by said rigid support bars is capable of adjustment by adjustment of said adjustable support members.
Further disclosed is a method of assembling a contoured structure, such as a magnetic levitation vehicle guideway, comprising positioning of a portion of a structure on a manufacturing assembly table comprising a plurality of individually adjustable bars that define a contoured surface, individually adjusting said plurality of adjustable bars to the desired contoured surface of said portion of a structure, holding the portion of the structure in position with a hold down fixture, allowing said portion of a structure to mechanically conform to said contoured surface established by said plurality of adjustable bars, and connecting the remaining portions of a contoured structure, such as a guideway, to the portion of the structure, such as a guide plate, positioned on the manufacturing assembly table after the portion of the structure has conformed to said contoured surface to form said contoured structure.